Uber Entertainment does not own the rights to TA?

It is difficult for Uber Entertainment to create a true sequel to Total Annihilation if Electronic Arts holds copy rights to it. For example the devs can't have the factions: the CORE and the ARM because EA games would sue Uber Entertainment for everything they own. Ruining our dream of PA. EA greedily hoards all the intellectual poverty of TA and this presents a brick wall to the PA devs.

I am not a lawyer or legal expert. But I hope by opening this topic someone will know how to force EA to give TA copy rights back to its rightful owners. Then we all will ACT.

This topic also serves as a valve to vent our anger towards EA for withholding the intellectual poverty that PA devs CREATED back in the early 90s.

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

I thought Atari owned all the rights to TA? Don't think it matters anyway, Uber won't be using any of the original code, resources, or names from TA. Intact are any of the names of the units protected, I would assume they are not?

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

That's just childish and irrelevant. Names mean nothing. Its not like the story of TA meant anything at all.

No idea how Electronic Arts got the rights, but they should certainly give them back to Atari immediately as they are the rightful owners.


EDIT: Although I have been *slightly* concerned that the amount of nods to TA both in the pitch video and on the forums might be cause for legal action, I have faith that Uber know enough about what they'e doing that this won't be an issue.

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

Not entirely true

They are using the same narrator John Patrick Lowrie, he is a resource from TA.

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

I'm hoping you're just being sly or sarcastic here...........

Mike

In gameplay terms, you have to get a lot closer than nods to get sued. It's well established that gameplay mechanics can be neither copyrighted nor patented. Consider, for example, BioShock and System Shock, or Torchlight and Diablo, or every MMO since 2004 and World of Warcraft. How many games were "Doom clones" or "GTA clones"?

AFAIK, the only thing they can copyright is the specific names, artwork, the plot, etc.

those rights can stay where they are imho. Names done matter.
As long it is allowed to say: We make a game that is inspired by TA, since we are the developers who made TA it is fine.

EDIT:
Thinking from the last post: Game developers more or less live in a ideal world for this part. In some other types of business you can be sued of rounded edges or designs so simple that a child could come up with them... xD

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

Well, that's how I took it. I mean, I sure found it funny.

dunno by which metric you could claim that Uber are the "rightful" owners of TA anyway. cavedog was Chris Taylor's company.

I was joking, you cannot copyright a man.

Uber is not stupid, they wouldn't do this if they thought they would get sued to hell. PA and TA are close but not too close for a lawsuit. I am not a lawyer, so I can't say for sure. You can get really close without being sued.

Could someone from Uber clarify this one.

I know exactly what you're talking about there.

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

FTFY

As far as I can tell, PA is an "inspired by" type of thing
I doubt anyone can own the idea of an RTS with mech/high-tech stuff/etc

Huh, found an interesting tidbit seeing if there was a wiki page for PA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Patrick_Lowrie
Filmography section:
2012 Planetary Annihilation Narrator

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

He's the Sniper in TF2? Whuuuuuuuuuuuut?

Mike

Re: Demand EA Games to RELEASE the rights of Total Annihilat

You cheeky bugger. And yeah, him and his wife Ellen McLain are legends in the world of game voice acting, I'm suprised there haven't been more "I donated because John Patrick Lowrie" posts.

Oh hey we're going off topic. Well sort of back on topic.. yeah computer game copyright/patent laws and suing shenanigans are 90% of the time not as terrible as the sort of stuff that goes on between Apple and Samsung. Like I mentioned to begin with as long as large chunks of the original code/textures etc. aren't used, which they wouldnt be, it's all good.

Dude, no idear who got the rights atm, but i simply hope it will not get another round of "Change the Name of your Title" style like the Bethesda guys do it agains the Minecraft Makers atm. They filed a pettition at the courthouse, or how you call it when you go agains somebody at the courthouse. And why? Because the Minecraft makers call there Addon or Patch or what it is "Minecraft: Scrolls". (And Bethesda got the rights for the Titel The Elder Scrolls)

-_- I hope they got the rights or the rightowner isnt a jerk to go to the court because they got Annihilation in the Title...

And do us all a favor Uber Entertainment, if you will be ever super rich and have hookers and coffee mashines in every room, dont make a run for the Stock Marked! The best and coolest companys in the past ended up as EA minions and other Company Minions in 50% of the cases without wantin it because of this stock marked buisness!